Archive for February, 2017

Claudia Tenney is listening! She has heard our calls for a Town Hall meeting, and has indicated that she is ready to hold one. So what now? We turn up the volume! She seems to be listening, so let’s make sure that she can really hear us!

Immediate call to action:

What: Resistance Picket in the Free Speech Zone, a four foot wide zone along the road.

Where: Representative Claudia Tenney’s office at 555 French Road. Park in the lot for Home Depot: her office is in the large brick building just to the right of Home Depot as you are facing it.

When: Friday from 3-5pm

How: Please don’t block traffic, don’t engage with counter-protestors, don’t be anything but civil and respectful. Bring signs that let Rep. Tenney know that everyone needs health care, that Immigrants are valued members of our community, and that Medicare and Social Security need to be protected. Make your voice heard!

Who: You! Me! All of us! Everyone! Bring a neighbor, grab a friend, include the whole family. Let’s make sure that Rep. Tenney knows how many of her constituents are concerned about the Trump agenda and her role in it. Let’s show her what Democracy looks like!

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Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Resistance Picket Friday in Front of Rep. Tenney’s New Hartford Office

WHERE: DeSales Center, 309 Genesee St. , Utica (across the street from Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute (parking next to the building at the corner of Eagle and Genesee Streets)

No wonder it took Congress so long to release their healthcare plan –it’s not a plan at all!

Extreme right-wing elected officials in Congress are determined to eliminate affordable, quality healthcare. Their actions would cause 30 million hardworking Americans to lose healthcare coverage and also, would threaten the economic viability of the healthcare institutions that serve our communities. The recently released Congressional plan does not protect healthcare coverage –it destroys it!

At this public forum, being held in the style of a Town Hall Meeting, members of the Utica community will speak about how the newly released, flawed Congressional healthcare plan will impact their lives. Participants will take the opportunity to tell newly-elected Congresswoman Tenney* their stories, which illustrate the need for affordable healthcare.

The week of February 18-26 is the first congressional recess of the 115th Congress, and for many of us, the first opportunity since Trump took office to speak as constituents directly with our members of Congress. This is the perfect time to ask the questions that we, as constituents, deserve answers to and to demonstrate, in no uncertain terms, that tolerance of Trump’s attacks on our health care, our communities, and our democracy are unacceptable and politically toxic.
That’s why we’re declaring this congressional recess: “Resistance Recess: Save Our Health Care, Our Communities, and Our Democracy.”

We will show up at our elected officials’ events, town halls, and other public appearances to make it clear to those that represent us in Congress and the media that tolerance of the Trump Administration’s hurtful policies is intolerable; that indifference or idleness is not acceptable; that complacency is politically toxic.

CITIZENS TO PROTEST OUTSIDE OF REP. TENNEY’S NEW HARTFORD OFFICE

What: Resistance Recess Action When: Tuesday, February 21 through Friday, February 24 (every day this week) Where: Representative Claudia Tenney’s Office, 555 French Rd, Suite 101 New Hartford, NY 13413, Building One; parking is available in Home Depot lot. Who: Central New York Citizens in Action, Inc., local citizens, please have your group serve as a co-sponsor

Central New York Citizens in Action members are joining local citizens outside of Representative Tenney’s NH office building at 555 French Road to protest her absence from the district during this Congressional recess week. We will be there from 3-5 p.m. each day this week and we hope others will join us when they can, for however long they can be there.

Rep. Tenney is traveling to Iraq, Afghanistan and Munich with the Financial Services Committee over the Congressional break. She will not be in the District at all.

She joins approximately 200 other Republican Congressmen and women who are also missing in action from their districts. This is a Republican tactic and Tenney seems very comfortable embracing it rather than doing her job. Especially this early in a hugely tumultuous Congress her job is to be in District meeting with the public and listening to constituents. She wanted the job and now she has to do it, and we need to call her out until she does. Looking forward to having people join the effort to make Tenney’s absence an issue!

Please bring signs to protest the Trump and Republican agenda. There is a flat area at the corner at French Road where folks can picket. You cannot picket in the parking lot. Do not take signs into the office. Do not engage with counter protesters. Just ignore them. Stay out of the road. The area between the curb and four feet in is considered to be a free speech area (public property).

Assemblyman Brindisi: Let Your Voice Be Heard! Town Hall Meetings This Week Focusing on the State Budget

Town halls take place this week in Utica and Frankfort to give constituents a chance to comment on this year’s proposed state budget

Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi of Utica is inviting the public to attend town hall meetings this week he’s sponsoring to get input on this year’s proposed State Budget.

“This is an excellent opportunity to let your voice be heard. Work is continuing on the state budget, and now is the time to provide your input and opinions so I can make sure this spending plan best reflects the needs of our community. I hope you can join me for one of these town hall meetings, where you will have the opportunity to speak out on your priorities for the state,” Brindisi said.

Town hall meetings will run from 6 to 8 p.m. The following is the schedule of upcoming meetings:

For more information on the meetings, please contact Assemblyman Brindisi’s Utica District office at (315) 732-1055, or by email at brindisia@nyassembly.gov.

HANNA TO SPEAK TO UTICA COLLEGE POLITICAL SCIENCE STUDENT GROUP

Speaker: Former Congressman Richard Hanna
Topic: The State of US Politics and the Future of the Republican Party Under President Trump
Date: Thursday, March 9th
Time: 7 pm
Format: 30 minute talk with plenty of time for Q&A afterward
Location: Utica College, Boehlert Hall, Boehlert Conference Center (on backside of building)
Sponsor: Pi Sigma Alpha Political Science Honor Society, Utica College

Speak Up and Speak Out in conjunction with the National Strike 4 Democracy strike4democracy.com Friday, February 17 Speak outs at 12 and 4, open mic in between Drop in and stay for as long as you can Speak from the heart, listen to and amplify the voices of others Hamilton College Chapel

Please join us for a Community Health Town Hall Meeting to talk about quality care, access to care, creating a healthy community, and the effects of Medicaid caps and repealing the ACA in the 22nd Congressional District.

Invited Guest: Rep. Claudia Tenney She has not responded

Call Congressperson Tenney Today 202-225-3665/315-732-0713 – tell her you are disappointed and want her to attend the Community Health Care Forum – stop hiding! She needs to listen to the people in our district and hear how we are going to be hurt by the proposed cuts to health care, before she supports the repeal of the ACA and cuts to Medicaid and Medicare.

Congress is rushing to take away our health care! Rep.Tenney and her colleagues are quickly moving to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), yet with no sign of a viable replacement in sight … NOTHING.

84,000 will lose their health insurance in our Congressional Dist 22.. It’s a callous and irresponsible scheme that puts partisan politics ahead of the health and economic security of our fellow citizens.

Sponsors: Citizen Action of NY, 1199/SEIU, Central New York Citizens in Action, Inc

WHAT STANDS BETWEEN US? THE ISSUE OF RACE IN AMERICA & OUR COMMUNITY

Date: Tuesday, 2/21/2017 Time: 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM Place: Utica Public Library
Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP through email below. Free and Open to the Public.

Presented By: Patrick L. Johnson
Facilitator/Consultant

pjohnson7newlifeinstitute@yahoo.com
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

This is a workshop that addresses the issue of racism in America and more importantly here in the Mohawk Valley. The purpose of this forum is to raise our awareness about the impact racism has in our lives – even when we may not be aware of it. The presenter will create an atmosphere that will allow all participants to share their experiences and concerns about racism in America. This workshop will afford the participants an opportunity to have an authentic conversation; one that is intended to be enriching and insightful. There will also be opportunities to offer solutions for a better community. One of the primary purposes of this workshop is to heighten our awareness as to how present racism is in the workplace and other areas of our life….even when we may not notice. Many people have not been offered the opportunity to have an honest dialogue about race relations. This is that opportunity.

We will explore what it means to be White, Black, Asian, Latino. What are your experiences given the racial identity that you hold? What stands between us? Although many would say that race relations have gotten better in America, what are the unresolved issues that keep us disconnected? One of the best things we can do for starters is begin to have honest conversations. It’s often what we don’t talk about that often produces polarization.

The participants in this forum will be fueled with new insight that will help them create a warmer and more welcoming work environment. This discussion will be thought provoking and engaging. We will not only gain a better understanding of others, but more importantly ourselves. In doing so, we find genuine ways to connect with people who are different than us, because we have been willing to ask the questions that help bring a better understanding of different groups. This workshop has proven to be an eye opener, also liberating and empowering for many who have participated in this workshop over the years. It’s well worth the time.

As the Mohawk Valley emerges into a very diverse community, we can no longer afford to put this conversation on the shelf. Please join us in this important dialogue. Thank you.

Patrick L. Johnson
Community Liaison
(315) 601-6002

Sponsored by the Oneida County District Attorney’s Office.

What’s your healthcare story?

IMPACT OF AFFORDABLE CARE ACT REPEAL ON NYS

Over 2.7 Million New Yorkers Would Lose Coverage

Estimated State Budget Impact of $3.7 Billion

Counties Across New York Would Lose Over $595 Million in Direct Spending

New York Residents Would Lose $250 Million in Health Care Savings Tax Credits

Americans are learning that they hold the key to protecting their health care. It’s called democracy.

After Congress took the first steps to repeal the Affordable Care Act without a replacement—which would leave more than 2.7 million New Yorkers without insurance—public resistance has forced them to pause.

That means there’s time for more personal stories to demonstrate that affordable, high-quality healthcare for all peopel is not negotiable.

Share your healthcare story so we can raise our voices as one.

This is the moment to make sure lawmakers know we won’t stand by as they try to roll back the ACA’s crucial protections for kids and families..

We’ll fight their efforts to block-grant Medicaid, which would deny the only insurance available to many of the most vulnerable people. And we will stand up for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

Personal stories are a powerful tool. Share yours.

Together, we can make the political system work the way it should – and protect families and kids

Central New York Citizens in Action, Inc., a local nonprofit progressive public policy and advocacy group, is seeking doCnated office space in the Utica area. We are expanding our organization and need 24 hour/7 day a week access. Ideal space would accommodate desks, computers, filing cabinet, meeting area, and phones. The space could be an office within a larger suite. It could be an apartment in area zoned for apartment/office. We can pay utilities. Contact John Furman at 315-725-0974 or cnycitizenaction@gmail.com.

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Central New York Progressive – 2.16.2017

We are filming our next music video that’s a parody of Sum 41’s In Too Deep. With Trump now President, the time to unify and drop differences is NOW. This song encourages people to drop what they are doing and get out and organize and gather together in solidarity. This video will include clips from the Women’s Marches, Airport Protests and whatever else will happen before February 4th. The Resistance begins with everyone coming together to embrace similiar values, ideologies, and fight for a better world rather than going backward.

Our goal is to have about 50 to 100 people show up from 730 PM to about 10pm on Saturday.

For Saturday: Show up at Brookwood Park right at 730pm. Some will come earlier to set up the actual performance scene. We will have hopefully a stage set up and we will have a band that is set to mockingly play the parody song. Your goal is to show up with enthusiasm and just be a part of the band crowd. I will reach out to individual people who confirm themselves to the event. I would like to grant certain people parts during the video for specific scenes. Tim Lyon will be directing the video.

More details to come. But please. This video is unifying and truly powerful. I will send you the audio track privately if you rsvp this event. Please take the time out to show up if you can.

NEWSLETTER OF THE CENTRAL NEW YORK CITIZENS IN ACTION, INC. –
UTICA CHAPTER OF CITIZEN
ACTION OF NEW YORK
(ESTABLISHED IN 1997)

Now celebrating 19 years of community organizing, the Central New York Citizens in Action invites YOU to be part of a movement for progressive change based on shared social values. We believe in educating, advocating, and legislating for the collective good. Join us!

Please consider attending the Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees (MVRCR) Press Conference in Response to the Executive Order Halting Refugee Resettlement this Wednesday in the MVRCR-DeSales Auditorium at 12 noon. Please come and show your support for our residents, past present and future, as we hope a packed auditorium shows solidarity to refugees and immigrants and also shows our public officials how many of their constituents are concerned over these horrible policies.

RESPONSE TO RECENT EXECUTIVE ORDER AFFECTING REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT

In response to President Trump’s executive order titled “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States”, Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees (MVRCR) will hold a press conference Wednesday, February 1st at 12:00 pm in the DeSales Auditorium, 309 Genesee St. Utica, NY.

Background:

• The U.S Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) is being suspended for 120 days for all populations with a few exceptions.

• It sets a new refugee resettlement priority— requiring the United States to no longer prioritize the resettlement of the most vulnerable— but those who are fleeing religious persecution and are minorities in the country they are fleeing.

• Syrian refugees have an indefinite bar on being resettled, until such time that the President determines that sufficient changes have been made to the USRAP.

• The order further bans residents of seven countries, including green card holders, from Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Yemen, Iraq and Sudan from visiting or entering the U.S. for 90 days. Other countries may be added to the list.

• It creates new screening procedures for refugees and other visa applicants in the U.S. and may require asylum recipients and others— to undergo additional screening.

• Provides for a new procedure to allow states and localities to discriminate against refugees by deciding whether they can be placed in their state or communities.

• It is essential that we stand firm and fight for the rights of refugees and our shared American values.

We stand with the American people in strong opposition to this Executive Order which turns our backs on refugees, in particular Muslim refugees. Utica has a 36-year history of welcoming refugees of all faiths who have added to the vibrancy and economic growth of our city. We reject the notion that Christians would be given preferential admittance before their Muslim neighbors. Closing our borders to refugees based on their national origin runs contrary to our constitutional values and is not only insidious, but dangerous. We call on members of this new administration and Congress to do everything in their power to reverse this order.

MORE IMMIGRANT RESTRICTIONS
In addition to the executive orders announced last week that denied admission to refugees and other immigrants, there have been reports that the Trump Administration will order more restrictions on immigrants who use or would be expected to use public benefits. The order would make certain lawfully present immigrants or applicants more at risk of being designated a “Public Charge.” Under current law, that designation applies to receipt (or expected receipt) of cash assistance (such as TANF or SSI) or long-term nursing home care. The new order could include many additional benefits (SNAP? WIC? We don’t yet know.)

The Executive Order has not yet been announced but a draft was leaked to the press. Based on existing law, changes to “public charge” language by executive order would not apply to refugees/other humanitarian immigrants or to decisions about naturalization, but could apply to immigrants seeking to become lawful permanent residents (LPRs). Expectation that they would be/have been “public charges” would be grounds for denying a visa application or adjusting status; that current LPR’s who leave the country for more than 180 days could be denied readmission; current LPR’s who utilized benefits within 5 years after entering the country could be deported.

Please join us at the next meeting of the Central New York Citizens in Action, Inc. to help us resist Trump-Pence-Ryan agenda that flies in the face of our progressive values. We must protect the rights of and demand respect for refugees, immigrants, Muslims, people of color, and the LGBQT community. We must stand up to Republican proposals that will take away our health and Social Security benefits and services for children and the elderly. Our meeting will provide an update on local, state, and national efforts to fight back policies, laws, executive orders, and cabinet appointments that take away our rights, erode our democracy, and benefit the 1% at the expense of the rest of us. Learn how you can get involved and become part of the movement to block Trump’s divisive agenda. We will have break out groups such as protecting rights of the vulnerable, communications, election mobilizing, and lobbying. The meeting will be held on Thursday, February 2 between 7 and 9 pm at the DeSales Center, 309 Genesee St. Utica. It is across the street from the Munson-Williams Proctor Institute in Downtown Utica. Parking is available next to the building. Thank you for your support.

CALL REPRESENTATIVE TENNEY TO TELL HER TO OPPOSE ACA REPEAL AND TRUMP’S AGENDA

We applaud the Senator’s work in opposing the Trump administration and urge him to continue his efforts! Please find below his statement:
·
After the first week of the Trump presidency it’s clear our country is at a cross roads. In his first week in office the president has stomped over our proud American tradition of welcoming immigrants and refugees, trafficked in alternative facts, and is attempting to fill his cabinet with billionaires and bankers. What kind of country do we want to be: one that helps the middle class and those struggling to get there or one that further rigs the system in favor of the special interests?

The people that the president has nominated to serve in his cabinet will have incredible power over millions of Americans and in shaping what kind of country we are going to be.
I’ve made it very clear I will vote NO on nominees DeVos (education), Tillerson (state) and Sessions (attorney general). Nothing will change that, and while I will continue to demand that each nominee issue a public statement on his or her views of President Trump’s Muslim Ban, I will vote against nominees who will be the very worst of this anti-immigrant, anti-middle-class, billionaires’ club cabinet. Rep Mick for Budget Director, Rep Tom Price for Health and Human Services, Steve Mnuchin for Treasury, Scott Pruitt for EPA and Andy Puzder for Labor have repeatedly shown they will not put the American People or the Laws of our nation first, and I will vote against their confirmations.

STAND UP FOR HEALTH CARE

Members of Congress are debating a repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and major cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, and other health coverage programs. We know consumers are Mulvaney looking for ways to get involved in the fight for health care.

Here is what you can do this week:
Ongoing: Tell your elected officials to #ProtectOurCare. Call-in at (866) 426-2631.
Ongoing: Share what quality, affordable health coverage means to you. If you or a loved one has benefited from the ACA, please share your story with us. Please call 315-725=0974 or email cnycitizenaction@gmail.com.

Facebook Event
DETAILS: On January 24, President Donald Trump signed two executive orders calling for the approval of the Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines, owned by Energy Transfer Partners and TransCanada, respectively.

Following the devastating actions of President Trump this past week, New Yorkers banded together to stand up for immigrants and refugees. Help us keep the momentum going! With reports that the Trump administration may take even more anti-immigrant actions in the next week, it is more important than ever for us to make our voices heard.
Here are five things you can do in the next five days to stand up and support immigrant and refugee communities:

• ASAP Flood social media with demands to reverse President Trump’s harmful and un-American executive orders and call out New York Congressional Reps who support these orders, like Rep. Peter King and Rep. Lee Zeldin of Long Island, Rep. Claudia Tenney of Utica, and Rep. Tom Reed of Ithaca. Say thank you to Rep. Grace Meng of Queens for introducing legislation to repeal the ban on refugees.
.@repleezeldin @realDonaldTrump’s Exec Orders are un-American & unconstitutional. I call on you to stand up for what’s right! #NoBanNoWall
.@reppeteking @realDonaldTrump’s EOs are immoral and just wrong. Reverse your position! #NoBanNoWall #OurNY @thenyic
.@claudiatenney @realDonaldTrump’s Exec Orders are wrong! Refugees make your district stronger! #NoBanNoWall #OurNY
.@reptomreed @realDonaldTrump’s Exec Orders are dangerous – Refugees need to be integrated not excluded! #NoBanNoWall #OurNY
Thank you @RepGraceMeng for legislation repealing @realDonaldTrump’s unconstitutional Exec Order #NoBanNoWall http://bit.ly/2jrSX5U #OurNY

• Wednesday: Voice your opposition to unqualified and anti-immigrant nominees, particularly Attorney General nominee Senator Jeff Sessions. Education Secretary nominee Betsy DeVos will be voted on by the full Senate any day now, we need you to call and tweet at moderate Republican senators like Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowsi ASAP. We are also standing by for an announcement about a Supreme Court pick tonight. If this individual is outside the mainstream and has voiced unconstitutional xenophobic views, we’ll need to mount resistance immediately.
.@senatorcollins Protect our children’s future – vote NO on @BetsyDeVos for Secretary of Education #NoDevos #OurNY
.@lisamurkowski vote no on @BetsyDeVos – she’s dangerous for our schools, children and country #NoDeVos #OurNY
• Thursday: Donate to immigrant advocacy organizations. The NYIC and our members need your support now more than ever.
• Friday: Join us for Jummah prayer at JFK Airport, standing in solidarity with our Muslim neighbors, those detained in airports across the US, and those unable to fly home. We will circulate further details, but plan to arrive by 11:45 a.m. outside the Terminal 4 Arrivals Hall.
• Saturday: Host a postcard party! Social media is great, but handwritten letters have a much greater impact. Invite family and friends over to tell your representatives that you demand justice for immigrant communities. Messages can be as short as a sentence or two about recent executive orders, pending nominees, and why the first two weeks of the Trump presidency don’t represent the values of America. Click here to find address of your congress person.
We at the CNYCIA are so grateful for your support, and for everyone in our great State who believes in opportunity & justice for all. This is Our New York.

JOIN FORCES TO RESIST THE NEW D.C. AGENDA

Please join us in Albany this Friday to organize a statwide coalition to fight back against Trump’s attack on health care and safety net programs! We will have a van from Utica. Please RSVP 315-725-0974 or cnycitizenaction@gmail.com.

With our new President & new Congress – all the advancements that we have fought long and hard for over the past 50 years are under attack.

That is why we are reminding you to reach out to your organizational leaders in every region in the state to join us for a vital statewide planning meeting to help organize to stop the attacks on our health care, vital social safety net programs and much more.

It is important that we have representation from each of our targeted Congressional district so that we can form effective regional teams to fight back

Commentary: Signs Suggest Trump Budget Will Feature Unprecedented Cuts Plus Large Tax Cuts Favoring Wealthy
In a new commentary, Robert Greenstein outlines the mounting signs suggesting that the forthcoming Trump budget may contain cuts harsher than those in recent House GOP budgets, which themselves would have slashed programs and services across much of the budget.
The budget Republicans approved last spring, for example, contained a stunning $6 trillion in domestic cuts over ten years, shrinking spending outside of Social Security, Medicare, and interest payments to just 7 percent of gross domestic product. That’s less than three-fifths its average level over the past 40 years and a little more than half its average level under President Reagan.
Yet those unprecedented cuts may not be enough for the Trump Administration.
Reports say the Trump team is meeting with career staff to assemble a budget with $10 trillion or more in savings, of which about $8.5 trillion would be cuts to programs outside defense.

PROGRESSIVE GROUPS RELEASE PROACTIVE, PROGRESSIVE AGENDA MY FAMILY, OUR NEW YORK A PROGRESSIVE AGENDA FOR OUR STATE PROTECT HUMAN RIGHTS AND ALL NEW YORK FAMILIES

New York Must Block the Trump Attack on Immigrants, Women & Religious Groups

• Protect all immigrant families and kids by making New York a sanctuary state

• Block any registry of people based on their religion or ethnicity

• Ensure affordable access to abortion, contraception, and reproductive health care for all New Yorkers by passing the Reproductive Health Act and the Comprehensive Contraceptive Coverage Act

• Offer driver’s licenses to all New Yorkers regardless of immigration status by requiring the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue a license to any New Yorker who can establish state residency

• Extend the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP) to the entire state and ensure that no New York family will be torn apart simply because they cannot afford counsel

TAX THE RICH AND HOLD WALL STREET ACCOUNTABLE

New York Must Fight Income Inequality. New York Must Block the Trump Tax Breaks for Corporations and Billionaires and Invest in New York’s Communities

• Expand and extend the millionaires’ tax to capture explosive income gains among the super-rich

• Enact state law to close the carried interest loophole that only benefits hedge fund and private equity billionaires

• Create new state tax provisions to recapture the resources lost by the unfair and unnecessary Trump/GOP tax cuts for the rich. We must reinvest in the needs of New Yorkers, including public education and property tax relief

• Enact new state surcharge on corporations that pay their CEOs over 100 times more than their lowest-paid employees

New York Must Block the Trump & Billionaire-Driven Attacks on Public Education, Health Care & the Safety Net

• New York must invest in our local public schools and fulfill the $4.3 billion owed to our neediest schools as a result of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity

• New York must block the privatization of public schools by expanding community schools, expanding access to pre-K and childcare services

• Mandate training and education for all school staff in anti-racist, culturally responsive practices

• Fully fund a high-quality, free SUNY and CUNY education for all state residents including undocumented immigrants and provide financial aid to undocumented students at private colleges

• Stop the Trump/GOP attack on Medicaid, Medicare and the Affordable Care Act. Ensure essential medical benefits and services continue for all New Yorkers and that New York moves forward on a Universal Health Care for All system in New York

• Fully fund the END AIDS 2020 platform

• Provide quality, affordable long-term care and support for seniors and people with disabilities who wish to live at home with dignity

• Enact stronger rent laws to protect New Yorkers living in rent stabilized apartments, and end

• Strengthen retaliation protections to encourage workers to blow the whistle on abuse and to protect workers from retaliation when they do come forward

• Empower state agencies to perform proactive enforcement in high violation industries and substantially increase resources for complaint-driven enforcement

• Finish the work of establishing one fair wage in New York State, by eliminating the sub-minimum wage for tipped workers and getting to $15 an hour for those regions of the state left behind by the 2016 deal

• Invest directly in public jobs that build our state’s social and physical infrastructure

• Expand paid family leave programs

• Pass a statewide paid sick days law

• Enact fair hours laws and safe staffing laws

• Invest in New Yorkers from early education to higher education and support worker-owned businesses statewide

• Ensure the right to collectively bargain and strengthen unions in New York

LEAD THE NATION IN CLIMATE PROTECTION AND

CLEAN, CHEAP ENERGY

New York Must Block the Trump Attack on Our Environment & Our Climate

• Enact the Climate and Community Protection Act (S8005 / A10342)

• Stop all fossil fuel infrastructure buildout

• Pass an interstate compact of carbon taxes and rebates to support clean energy and help families using clean energy

• Work with California and other reality-based states and cities to join the Paris Climate Accord

• Defend and expand New York State actions against climate polluters, including the Attorney General’s investigation of ExxonMobil

• Establish a state constitutional right to clean, safe water for all New Yorkers
CREATE A FUNCTIONING, MEANINGFUL DEMOCRACY

New York Must Block the Trump & Billionaire Attack on Our Democracy

• Enact public financing of elections by establishing a small donor matching system for campaigns

• Close the LLC loophole, lower contribution limits for candidates and committees and limit transfers between committees to implement a check on how much money special interests and large donors can use to influence elections

• Require statewide reporting on deaths in police-involved incidents and enforcement of violations and misdemeanors, including racial, gender and other demographics

• Ensure fair administration of justice, eliminate racial disparities and expand prevention and rehabilitation by overhaulingthe criminal justice system from pre-arrest to community re-entry

• Reduce the number of prisons, and number of people incarcerated, by reducing sentences through parole, bail and sentencing reform

• Raise the age of criminal responsibility and youth offender status

• Enact state law to protect domestic violence survivors facing prosecution for taking action to protect themselves and their families

• Ensure NY meets its constitutional obligation by fully funding indigent legal defense and passing a speedy trial law to address court processing delays and reduce people being held in pre-trial detention

• Empower those most harmed by the criminal injustice system by restoring the voting rights, labor rights, and eligibility to Tuition Assistance Program for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people

• End the school-to-prison pipeline. End arrest and criminal summons in schools for all non-criminal violations and misdemeanors by passing the Safe and Supportive Schools Act

URGE NYS GOV. CUOMO TO STAND UP TO TRUMP FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

Citizen Action is a member of NY ReNews, a statewide coalition working on energy democracy and climate justice.

We’re not even a week in, and the Trump administration has already begun ignoring climate science, dialing back progress, and pushing our planet toward the brink of catastrophe. In the face of federal denialism, it’s up to the great state of New York to help lead the fight to save the world.
Join thousands of other New Yorkers who are calling on Governor Cuomo to defy Trump and make climate change an urgent top priority.
Call his office today at : 1-518-474-8390

How? He can start by including the Climate and Community Protection Act (CCPA) in the state’s 2017 budget. The CCPA tackles climate pollution in all sectors, while getting frontline communities the resources they need to weather the climate storm, and instituting key labor protections that will ensure good, family-supporting jobs in the renewable energy economy. Unfortunately, we didn’t see anything near this kind of ambition in the budget proposal Cuomo unveiled on January 17th.

Just 10 days after Trump’s inauguration, help us make sure we’re setting New York on a course to lead the nation in tackling climate change. Our futures depend on it.

BROAD COALITION OF ELECTED OFFICIALS AND ADVOCATES UNVEIL NEW LEGISLATION AND ANALYSIS IN FAVOR OF GRANTING DRIVER’S LICENSES TO UNDOCUMENTED NEW YORKERS

The New York Immigration Coalition, along with The Fiscal Policy Institute and the New York City Office of Comptroller Scott Stringer, elected officials and advocates unveiled new legislation and analysis in favor of granting driver’s licenses to Undocumented New Yorkers.
New analyses from New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer and the Fiscal Policy Institute find significant social and economic benefits of extending driving privileges to undocumented immigrants. The analyses found that the policy change would help support immigrant families by expanding job opportunities, while modestly lowering insurance premiums for all state drivers and improving public safety on roadways, with the fiscal costs of implementing the proposal more than offset by added revenues. The new legislation will be introduced with full support of the Green Light NY: Driving Together Coalition, a statewide coalition of immigrant organizations who have been advocating for licenses as a way to better protect and integrate immigrant communities in New York. The new bill also provides significant data security protections to push back on overreaching federal administration.

IN RESPONSE TO EXECUTIVE BUDGET, NEW YORK NONPROFITS

GATHER TO CALL FOR STATE INVESTMENT IN HUMAN SERVICES

COALITION LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO SHOW THE HUMAN

IMPACT OF CONTINUAL UNDERFUNDING IN THE REGION

A coalition of human services nonprofits from across New York State were joined by Assemblymembers Fahy, Gunther, Hevesi, and Rosenthal, as well as Senators Amedore and Hamilton, to call on Governor Cuomo and the legislature to strengthen the nonprofit human services sector through smart and efficient investment and systemic changes. The Executive Budget, while acknowledging the importance of human services, provided little in the way of strengthening the organizations and the sector responsible for supporting and lifting families out of poverty.

The Coalition, which is comprised of nearly 350 organizations across New York State, is part of the statewide Restore Opportunity Now campaign, which seeks to address sector health issues like fully funded contracts, competitive salaries and benefits for nonprofits needed to recruit and retain high quality staff, and program funding to meet the growing needs of New Yorkers.

The advocacy campaign amplifies a recent report highlighting the need for human services in New York communities. In many cities, child poverty exceeds 50 percent, and food security and housing continue to be pressing issues. Despite these statistics, spending in the human services sector in New York has decreased by an average of 1.3 percent per year since 2011.

Human services are the State’s first line of defense in combating pressing issues like poverty, but rising costs coupled with ever present needs and lack of investment have undermined the health of the sector, which is now at a breaking point. Fifty-eight percent of providers in the state in 2014 reported that they were not meeting the need in their communities. Only 7 percent reported that their State contracts covered the full cost of providing services. Recruitment and retention of qualified staff is also a major challenge, due to low levels of compensation, often set by government.

The Coalition is calling on the governor and legislature to take the first steps this budget session to strengthen the sector by funding the minimum wage for direct human services contracts and Medicaid reimbursements, implementing an funding a 15% floor for indirect, and continuing investment in the Nonprofit Infrastructure Capital Improvement Program. These steps would ensure that human services providers continue to deliver essential services efficiently and effectively.

Coalition members will also participate in an advocacy day today, meeting with more than 20 Assemblymembers and Senators.

“Our investments in human services aid vulnerable populations, help uplift communities, and extend ladders of opportunity to the next generation of New York leaders. We must boost our investment in this critical sector because nurturing healthy human services makes for healthier, higher quality of life communities for all New Yorkers,” said Senator Jesse Hamilton (D).
“As we stare down the barrel of a Trump Administration, it is imperative that New York invest in the future of children and families by fully funding non-profit organizations across the State,” said Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal (D/WF). “Non-profits often act as a safety net in many communities where residents struggle with homelessness and poverty. We must do everything possible to insulate New Yorkers from the coming cuts at the federal level, and funding the State’s non-profits will go a long way in protecting the most vulnerable over the next four years.”

“Like New Yorkers across the State, we are very excited about many of the initiatives put forward by the Governor in the State of the State. There are over 800,000 hardworking New Yorkers in the not for profit sector who will be involved in the implementation of many of these new initiatives including people in the mental health workforce. We need the continued support of the Governor and the Legislature to help keep funding whole for this workforce by supporting salary and benefits that allow nonprofits to recruit and retain a high quality staff,” said Glenn Liebman, CEO of Mental Health Association in NYS.

“We are here to advocate for investment in some of the most important people in New York state,” said William T. Gettman, Jr., CEO, Northern Rivers Family of Services. “Our not-for-profit human services workers are responsible for helping the children of today grow into the leaders of tomorrow who will help keep New York a great place to live,

A Place of Rage Screening
Wednesday, Feb 15, 7:00 – 9:00 pm. ArtRage Gallery
A Place of Rage is an exuberant award-winning documentary film by filmmaker Pratibha Parmar. The film will be introduced by Marcelle Haddix, Chair, Reading & Language Arts, Syracuse University. A celebration of the contributions and achievements of prominent African American women, the film features Angela Davis, June Jordan and Alice Walker. Within the context of civil rights, black power, lesbian and gay rights and the feminist movement, the trio reassesses how women like Rosa Parks and Fannie Lou Hamer revolutionized American society and the world generally.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
February:

Tue. Feb. 7 – a Childcare/Pre-K lobby day AND a state-level Health Care for All NY lobby day

February 16 – Raise the Age Call In Day 518-455-2800
I am calling to urge you to pass comprehensive ‘Raise the Age’ legislation in the state budget due April 1st. New York is one of only two states that prosecutes all 16- and 17-year-olds as adults for any offense, no matter what. This has been proven to jeopardize public safety and does not match what we know about how to help young people get back on track. I urge you to support Raise the Age this session and to do the whole package! Thank you.

President’s Week: February 20-25 – Congressional Recess!!! (Health Care focus)
Please contact your member of Congress to stop ACA repeal. Please call your Representative to tell him/her to Say no to ACA repeal, cuts to Medicaid/Medicare/SNAP/Housing and federal corporate tax breakes. We are planning many events during this time.

Tue, March 7 – Raise the Age Lobby Day – Save the Date

Also: Tuesday, March 7, 2017 – Driver Licenses for ALL NY, Albany Day
Join for a day of legislative visits to speak up for licenses for all in NY.
Send an email to wccny@workerscentercny.org to reserve your seat.
For almost a year, we have been building community support and leadership among our members to win driver licenses for all immigrants in NY.
We will be part of a Broad Coalition of Elected Officials and Advocates that will unveil new legislation and analysis In favor of granting driver’s licenses to undocumented New

SAVE THE DATES:

April 23-25: People’s Action “Rise Up” Founding Convention
Purpose: To publicly launch People’s Action as a political home for our affiliates, as a movement leader for our allies, and as a powerful counterpoint to the politics of white nationalism / fascism that has hijacked our democracy.

Central New York Citizens in Action, Inc. was developed from the Utica Citizens in Action, a multi-issue public interest association affiliated with Citizen Action of New York. It was founded in 1997 to address critical social, economic and environmental issues facing residents of Oneida, Herkimer, and Madison Counties. Members of our group worked to empower low and moderate income Central New York residents to participate in shaping the policies that affect their lives, such as economic justice, environment, housing, education, economic development, health care, public benefit programs, and consumer issues. Our projects include research and policy development, public education on a wide range of public policy issues, development of educational materials, community outreach and grassroots organizing, coalition development, training, and lobbying. Please join our email list by sending an email to cnycitizenaction@gmail.com with the subject heading – Join List. We also invite you to become a member of our group and attend our meetings.